The 2026 Digital Economy
In a world defined by rapid technological shifts and economic resets, staying ahead requires more than just hard work—it requires a strategic blueprint.
This 52nd edition brings together six world-class experts to show you how to master everything from human-centric leadership, to viral storytelling, and the high-stakes fine wine markets.
Stay tuned until the end of this newsletter to catch our last week’s poll result about which Martin Luther King Jr. inspired-value guides the majority of our Linkies with their leadership roles!
How to Lead with Humanity: 3 Lessons for High-Stakes Resilience
Leadership is a high-stakes balancing act between hitting mission goals and supporting the people who make those goals possible.
Drawing on experiences ranging from the USS Archerfish in Puerto Rico to managing a major Verizon data center outage in Richardson, Texas, Tim Dickey decodes the art of resilience.
- Seek Mutual Wins: Negotiation is a tool to boost team morale.
Tim reflects:
"Oftentimes we're horse trading to get the results we want. And it's really for the benefit of everybody involved, not just one side or the other.”
- Prioritize Information Flow: In a crisis, communicating "imperfect" information is superior to silence.
Tim explains:
"Timely communication is so important... even though the information may not be perfect... at least there is some information flowing.”
- Put Humanity First: Protecting the dignity of individuals during layoffs is non-negotiable.
Tim notes:
"Ultimately, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is people, especially when we're talking about people's lives and their livelihoods.”
💡 Industry Value:
According to Routledge research about the soft skills of leadership, 75% of high-performing organizations rank "soft skills" like negotiation as a top priority.
Furthermore, the Uptime Institute reports that nearly one-third of data center outages cost over $250,000.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch these Life Lesson Learned series in YouTube:
- Life Lesson Learned: The Ultimate Trade, Subs for Helos
- Life Lesson Learned: Data Center Down
- Life Lesson Learned: Letting Go of Half My Team
Catch next week’s Life Lessons Learned in Tim Unscripted!
📬 Get most of the insights from Tim!
→ Personal Website
→ Company Website: Improving
→ YouTube Channel: Tim Unscripted
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How to Break the Consultant’s Trap: 4 Steps to Scaling Through Systems and IP
Many independent consultants hit a revenue wall because their business depends entirely on them being "in the room.”
Host Michael Lopez and Mike Koziol suggest a shift toward productizing expertise.
- Sell IP, Not Time: Scaling requires turning knowledge into repeatable systems.
Mike notes:
"Those who make more money and can scale faster are those who are looking at their business from a systems perspective... and looking at their IP as something that they're selling.”
- Leverage the Economy
Michael observes:
"The independent consultant economy is booming in ways that we've never seen. And a lot of that is also enabled by artificial intelligence.”
- Follow the 75% Rule: Launch your solution before you feel "ready" and refine it based on real user feedback.
- Adopt a Hybrid Model: Move away from static courses toward a mix of prerecorded IP and live advisory calls.
💡 Market Data:
The "Expert Economy" has grown to over 72 million independent professionals in the U.S. (Beeline)
However, 95% of course buyers never log in, highlighting the need for accountability. (Boss Project)
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of “Why Most Independent Consultants Get Stuck — and How the Best Break Through”
- On LinkedIn
- On YouTube
Join the next episode of Top Voice Tuesday with Matthew Rosenquist on January 27 at 12:00 PM EST on LinkedIn Live. Register here!
📬 Get the most of the insights from our featured Top Voices in this episode!
→ Personal Website
→ Newsletter: $100k Consulting
→ Personal Website
→ Newsletter: Friday Focus
→ YouTube Channel: Michael J. Lopez
→ Purchase his book “CHANGE” on Amazon!
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3 Steps to Navigate the Fine Wine Reset: Turning Market Volatility into Agency
The global fine wine market has endured a harsh 36-month system reset.
Experts Sophia Gilmour (Liv-ex Market Analyst and author of the Power 100) and Robbie Stevens (Liv-ex Head of Broking) in Andy Wang’s Tuesday session of Inspired Money analyze how the market is moving into a phase of "predatory curiosity."
- Reward Pricing Integrity: Brands like Cheval Blanc won by maintaining stable pricing.
Sophia explains:
"The brands that have done especially well... are those that have adopted more structured, less reactive pricing.”
- Monitor Market Ratios: Watch the bid-offer ratio; for the Liv-ex 100, a ratio of 1.0 signals a regional floor.
- Diversify Trade Exposure: To hedge against regional trade storms, focus on globally diverse brands.
Robbie notes:
"We saw pretty much all US buying exposure removed overnight... and that has an onward effect on the ability for Italian producers to sell their goods.”
💡 Financial Insight:
Investors are finding value in the £2,000 "sweet spot" for wines meant for consumption rather than just speculation. (Vint)
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the full episode of this Inspired Money episode:
- On LinkedIn
- On YouTube
Join the next episode of Inspired Money on LinkedIn and YouTube Live! Stay tuned.
🔎 Explore more from our Inspired Money host and panel of experts in this episode!
→ Company Website: Liv-ex
→ Company Website: Runnymede Capital Management
→ YouTube Channel: Subscribe here!
→ Free 3-minute Financial Plan: Calculate your Retirement Income
→ LinkedIn Newsletter: Inspired Money
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How to Stop the Scroll: The 3-Step Blueprint for Viral Storytelling
(Jay Neo and the Silicon Zombies team on stage at the Park James Hotel in Menlo Park)
Virality is a calculation, not luck.
Hooman Khalili, the veteran Bay Area broadcaster, and Nick Larson, the Founder of Silicon Zombies, sat down with Jay Neo, who helped engineer MrBeast’s most liked video, and shared the blueprint for capturing attention in the Menlo Park community.
- Master the "Scroll Stopper": The first second must be visually simple.
Jay notes:
"The less information on the screen visually is, the better.”
- Use "Stair Stepping": Build tension by showing obstacles before a payoff.
- Build Community
Hooman emphasizes:
"I care about community, and I want people to come out and become friends and get to know one another.”
💡 Viewer Retention:
Jay’s team analyzed every second of every MrBeast video, producing shorts that averaged 500 million views each.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of “SZ 207: The Alchemy of Virality”
- On LinkedIn
- On YouTube
Join the Silicon Zombies team in their next Crypto Zombies series on February 4th during Super Bowl week for a session with poker legend Phil Hellmuth!
Check the Luma link or visit the Park James Hotel’s website calendar to grab your spot!
🤝 Connect with our Silicon Zombies guest speaker and hosts!
→ Company Website: Palo Inc.
→ Personal Website: Hooman.tv
→ Company Website: Park James Hotel
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Company Website: Silicon Zombies
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Need Advice? Book a 1:1 with Nick in Hubble!
→ Subscribe to Nick’s LinkedIn Newsletter: Brain Food
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How to Architect Your Future: 3 Strategies to Build Career Resilience in the AI Era
With AI roles growing 15-fold, you must move from being an employee to becoming the architect of your work life.
In this week’s Wednesday session of Inspired Money, Andy Wang sat down with three top experts to map out this new world: Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and CEO of the Pamela Slim Agency; Charlene Li, tech analyst and author of Winning with Generative AI; and Elaine Pofeldt, journalist and author of The Million Dollar One Person Business.
- Develop a Portfolio Career
Pamela advises keeping a strategic thread:
"What is that main thing that you're trying to build? How do you need to get there in terms of skills…”
- Treat AI as a Thought Partner:
Charlene suggests:
"If you treat AI as the thought partner it completely changes the game.”
- Productize for Scaling:
Elaine observes:
"I find that they're very less is more, and they really pare down what they need to do, and they outsource the rest.”
💡 Future of Work Data:
Surveys consistently show that roughly 80% of workers expect AI to significantly change how they perform their daily tasks. (ADP Research)
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the full episode of this Inspired Money episode:
- On LinkedIn
- On YouTube
Join the next episode of Inspired Money on LinkedIn and YouTube Live! Stay tuned.
🔎 Explore more from our Inspired Money host and panel of experts in this episode!
→ Linktree
→ Company Website: Pamela Slim Agency
→ LinkedIn Newsletter: Smart IP
→ Personal Website
→ Get updates of Charlene’s upcoming book release, “Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success”
→ Personal Website
→ Portfolio
→ Blogs: Forbes
→ Purchase Elaine’s book “The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business” on Amazon!
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How to Master LinkedIn DMs: Use the 15/15/15 Strategy for High-Value Outreach
(Bobby Umar, Darren Gibb, and Mitchell Tan in a virtual livestream discussion)
Avoiding DMs leaves revenue on the table. Host Bobby Umar (Founder of TLB Club and five-time TEDx speaker), Darren Gibb (LinkedIn Strategist), and Mitchell Tan (Co-founder of Kondo) reveal how to turn connections into partnerships.
- Execute the 15/15/15 Strategy: Send 15 DMs, 15 connection requests, and 15 comments daily.
Darren emphasizes:
"Authority is built... through having conversations like a human being.”
- Turn Your Inbox into a CRM:
Mitchell notes:
"LinkedIn makes it hard to... stay organized... And so we built Kondo.”
- Build Real Relationships
Bobby summarizes:
"The sales and the transactions happen when you build a relationship with them in the end.”
💡 Outreach Effectiveness:
Personalized social selling can lead to a 45% increase in sales opportunities. (Typing Post by Kevin)
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of “The Art and Tech of sending LinkedIn DMs”
- On LinkedIn
- In YouTube:
Catch more upcoming events brought to you by TLB Club!
🤝 Connect with our expert guest speakers and host!
→ Personal Website
→ Company Website: Kondo
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→Personal Website
→ Company Websites:
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Subscribe to Bobby’s Newsletters in the following platforms:
- LinkedIn: Build Ur Thought Leader Brand
Last Week's Poll Results: Community Shout-Out
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. as we celebrate him and his living legacy every 3rd Monday of January, we asked our Linkies:
“Which Martin Luther King-inspired value guides your leadership most?”
The results are in—and our community spoke loudly:
📊 Poll Results:
A special thanks to these Voices who voted and engaged:
- Jenny Fernandez
- Nikki Estes
- Lindsey Franco
- Niña Grace Bulakiña
- Jose Kiggundu
- Kathy Barrera
- Chenny Marie Cantano (that’s me!)
This is what a community looks like. When you engage—whether through voting, commenting, or sharing—you're part of a movement of leaders committed to growth, accountability, and lifting each other up.
See the full conversation on LinkedIn
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